Knife switches are used as disconnect switches mounted on switchboards, distribution, and control panel boards and typically are enclosed within safety switch cabinets. Knife switches are extensively used in heavy industries to handle heavy electrical loads, where visible disconnects are required. The switching of heavy currents produces arcing between the switch contacts, having the potential to cause considerable damage to the contacts and injury to operators. The contacts are typically formed of relatively soft, good conducting metals, such as copper, which have relatively low melting points and hence are very susceptible to damage by uncontrolled arcing. Past attempts to mitigate the problem of arcing-induced erosion have included providing two sets of contacts, main contacts that carry the load, and arcing contacts that open after the main contacts open and close before the main contacts close, so that the arc is drawn only between the arcing contacts and not between the main contacts. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,513 discloses a contact construction for a circuit breaker, wherein a pair of main contacts of relatively high conductivity are arranged in parallel with arcing contacts that have a steel body of relatively low conductivity. Such constructions of parallel sets of main contacts and arcing contacts are complex assemblies of parts that are expensive to manufacture and difficult to service for the replacement of eroded arcing contacts.